3/21/01

Subjecting my family and friends to this type of degrading and harsh treatment is wicked and oppressive to the people who care and love the men behind these walls. When my loved ones decide to come inside of San Quentin State Plantation...Yes Plantation because that is exactly what our loved ones experience once they step foot onto these grounds.

Having to endure the mental abuse of trying over & over just to get an appointment over the phone. The phones rings over and over sometimes it’s never answered and sometimes when the officers are suppose to be answering the phones the answering machine come on, And when our family & friends are calling from long distance this becomes a financial burden.

Once they do get an answer, At times they are told all the slots are full and then they start the repetition all over again the next day or our loved ones gets an officer with a hostile disposition towards them. Which should be unacceptable, You complain and nothing happens, and when our family do get an appointment, Now our loved ones arrive to visit with the men behind these walls and they are treated liket hey are the ones incarcerated, having no choice but to comply with having they’re personal property x-rayed.. which I doubt no one has a problem with! Then being further degraded by having to remove they’re shoes stepping onto the cold cement. And by the time they’re through being subjected to this wickedness Our families and friends are placed into cages just big enough to fit 3 or 4 people. You know this is a sad analogy, But it reminds of the time I had to go down to the neighborhood human society looking for my lost animal I had to walk by these kennels to see if he was there. Then once our loved ones are placed inside these cages we are not allowed to stand or the guards are to terminate our visit without warning no matter what the circumstances are... We are not allowed to use the restroom not even the kids or your visit will be terminated no exceptions.

These are deceptive rules that are so-called Safety and Security issues which this administration has told Sacramento that is necessary inorder to maintain restraint within the visiting room.

Denying our loved ones full access to the restroom is Mean-Spirited, Reprehenisible, Oppressive and Callous, Designed to punish our family & friends who commit time to support they’re loved ones behind these walls.

The state prison officials are constantly exerting a lot of time attempting to make it laborious for our loved ones to gain access to us inside these walls, So you pretty much understand that you have no choice but to except the malice that our families have to endure inorder to hug they’re loved ones who they miss and care for dearly, And that is what drives our families & friends to take the journey through these gates, Not to be abused by the system.

Understand the convicts inside these walls are not attempting to disrespect or undermine this administration or demanding frivolous actions to occur. We are only asking that our families & friends be treated as human beings with the respect they so deserve and in return you will receive.

MAINTAIN THE STRUGGLE,

MR. D. CLEVELAND